Comment is free + WTO | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/commentisfree+world/wto
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Nothing works in Ferguson. Here's how to fix a police force – and punish cops | Norm Stamperhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/ferguson-police-force-punish-cops
<p>I ordered military gear against protesters, and it failed. Ferguson needs to cut back on Swat, step up discipline and trust citizen leaders to bring justice. So does every police department</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2014/aug/20/ferguson-protests-continue-after-second-police-shooting-live-updates">Live coverage of Ferguson protests continues here</a></li></ul><p>It’s difficult to view citizens as partners when you’re looking at them through a Kevlar helmet and a riot shield – or when you have failed to build a culture of trust and then you add <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/14/ferguson-cops-military-weapons-michael-brown-shooting-protests">military equipment</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/14/ferguson-police-military-restraints-violence-weaponry-missouri">tactics</a> to a combustible mix of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/ferguson-looting-national-guard-black-citizens-get-by">racial discrimination</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/14/police-brutality-punished-justice-for-michael-brown-ferguson">little police accountability</a>. This explosive combination makes policing significantly less effective, and dramatically less safe for everybody.</p><p>It’s no wonder so many cops – like some of those in Ferguson, Missouri – view their own community as the enemy when they spend their time geared for combat. It’s no wonder why they, in return, are viewed <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/14/ferguson-occupation-peace-calm">as an occupying force</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/ferguson-police-force-punish-cops">Continue reading...</a>Michael Brown shootingProtestPoliceMissouriSeattleWTOUS constitution and civil libertiesUS newsTue, 19 Aug 2014 15:15:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/ferguson-police-force-punish-copsPhotograph: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesYou can’t reverse the effects of years of military-style policing in a few hours of walking among protesters. Photograph: Joe Raedle / GettyPhotograph: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesYou can’t reverse the effects of years of military-style policing in a few hours of walking among protesters. Photograph: Joe Raedle / GettyNorm Stamper2014-08-19T15:15:50ZThe EU crisis demonstrates that free trade has gone far enough | Peter Wilbyhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/14/free-trade-european-union-rethink
It's not just the European Union that needs a rethink – it's the whole world trade regime and its unelected overseers<p>The unravelling of the euro is not just an economic and financial crisis, it is also a crisis of democracy. The peoples of Europe are losing the capacity to determine their own futures. From Antwerp to Athens, they are being told that there is no alternative.</p><p>The people of Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland have already learned that they must accept programmes of austerity, reductions in employment protection and the sale of public assets to the private sector. If they haven't elected leaders willing to do what is necessary, unelected leaders will be imposed instead. The French and the Belgians know that they also must watch their step.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/14/free-trade-european-union-rethink">Continue reading...</a>European UnionWTOInternational tradeFinancial crisisBusinessEuropeWorld newsMon, 14 Nov 2011 21:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/14/free-trade-european-union-rethinkRoberto Monaldo/APMario Monti, the former EU competition commissioner who has been asked to form Italy's next government. Photograph: Roberto Monaldo/APRoberto Monaldo/APMario Monti, the former EU competition commissioner who has been asked to form Italy's next government. Photograph: Roberto Monaldo/APPeter Wilby2011-11-14T21:00:00ZThe false promise of Obama's trade deals | Kevin Gallagher and Timothy Wisehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/08/obama-trade-deals
'21st-century' trade deals proposed by the Obama administration won't help American workers – and will hurt foreign ones<p>It is bad enough that President Obama is reversing his campaign pledge and supporting Bush-era trade deals with Korea, Colombia and Panama. Starting this week in Chicago, the US will be hosting the first major trade negotiations since the &quot;Battle in Seattle&quot; World Trade Organisation talks came here in 1999. This occasion is for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with a wide range of industrialised and developing Pacific Rim countries.</p><p>As part of his plan to revive the US economy and create jobs, Obama claims he will be unveiling &quot;a trade agreement for the 21st century&quot;. Ironically, though, he will be pushing the same &quot;Nafta-style&quot; trade pacts he campaigned against, and to howls of protest from his own electoral base. Let us not forget what he said:</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/08/obama-trade-deals">Continue reading...</a>Global economyUS economyWTOBusinessObama administrationUS newsThu, 08 Sep 2011 20:52:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/08/obama-trade-dealsCarolyn Kaster/APPresident Barack Obama pauses as he speaks during a Rural Economic Forum in August. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/APCarolyn Kaster/APPresident Barack Obama pauses as he speaks during a Rural Economic Forum Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/APKevin Gallagher and Timothy Wise2011-09-08T20:52:00ZA mere state can't restrain a corporation like Murdoch's | Felicity Lawrencehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/28/murdoch-news-corp-banks-transnationals
Whether News Corp, banks or food giants, transnationals are not so much a state within a state as a power beyond it<p>The deep corruption of power revealed by the phone-hacking scandal has led many to question how Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation could establish <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/12/bskyb-bid-rupert-murdoch" title="Guardian: British democracy can't live with Murdoch's BSkyB bid">&quot;a state within a state&quot;</a>. MPs have trumpeted their determination to make sure it never happens again. They will struggle.</p><p>As if to rub the point in, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/27/james-murdoch-bsky-board-meeting" title="Guardian: James Murdoch back to chair BSkyB board meeting">BSkyB's board announced it was back to business as usual</a> on Thursday. Despite parliament's question mark over the integrity of its chairman, James Murdoch, the rest of the board said they fully supported him. A few hours later the Guardian reported a new low in the saga – allegations that Sarah Payne's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/28/phone-hacking-sarah-payne" title="">mother's phone may have been hacked</a>. But the corporation marches on.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/28/murdoch-news-corp-banks-transnationals">Continue reading...</a>Phone hackingRupert MurdochNews CorporationNews UKNewspapers & magazinesNational newspapersNewspapersMediaMedia businessWTOBusinessGlobal developmentUS newsUK newsWorld newsPress intrusionThu, 28 Jul 2011 17:45:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/28/murdoch-news-corp-banks-transnationalsParbul/AFP/Getty ImagesNews International chairman James Murdoch: the other board members have said he has their full support. Photograph: Parbul/AFP/Getty ImagesParbul/AFP/Getty ImagesNews International chairman James Murdoch: the other board members has said he had their full support. Photograph: Parbul/AFP/Getty ImagesFelicity Lawrence2011-07-28T17:45:00ZRestructuring Greece's debt crisis | Kevin Gallagherhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/05/greece-debt-crisis-default
What happens when a country goes broke? Ask Argentina: bondholders sue under trade treaties. We need a fairer system<p>Greece may have managed to <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/730793a6-983f-11e0-ae45-00144feab49a.html#axzz1QrmBq763">kick the can down the road</a> once again, but will eventually have to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt_restructuring">restructure its debt</a>. If Greece or any other nation restructures, they will find that one of the most glaring gaps in global economic governance is the lack of an agreed-upon regime for resolving debt crises. <a href="http://ase.tufts.edu/gdae/policy_research/sovereigndebtrestructuring.html">New research shows</a> that in the absence of conscious global economic governance, we may be left with a de facto regime: the thousands of international trade and investment treaties that have jurisdiction over government debt. Just ask Argentina.</p><p>A <a href="http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2010/05/17/argentine-swap-redux/#axzz1Qn0u06Y5">number of commentators have pointed</a> to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/business/global/24peso.html">Argentina's &quot;success&quot;</a> after its bond restructuring as a lesson for Greece. Indeed, Argentina has experienced impressive growth alongside debt restructuring. But as <a href="http://triplecrisis.com/the-greek-crisis-uttering-the-other-d-word/">others have pointed out</a>, the two cases are <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/dont-cry-for-argentina/">not all that comparable</a>. One additional reason for Argentina's swift recovery is due to the fact that Argentina devalued its currency, which Greece cannot do under the euro. It is also true that Argentina happened to be endowed with key primary products in the middle of a commodity boom. Greece is not so lucky.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/05/greece-debt-crisis-default">Continue reading...</a>GreeceEurozone crisisBondsBusinessWTOEuroEuroEuropean UnionArgentinaEuropeWorld newsTue, 05 Jul 2011 15:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/05/greece-debt-crisis-defaultThanassis Stavrakis/APA protest on Syntagma square in Athens turned into battles with riot police as Greece approved new austerity measures last week; if Greece defaults, bondholders will use private tribunals to sue for recovery of their debt. Photograph: Thanassis Stavrakis/APThanassis Stavrakis/APA protest on Syntagma square turned into battles with riot police as Greece approved new austerity measures on Wednesday. Photograph: Thanassis Stavrakis/APKevin Gallagher2011-07-05T15:00:01ZThe lost spirit of Seattle | Latoya Petersonhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/25/protest-imf
In 1999, anti-WTO protests made world news. Now, a DC march goes unnoticed. What happened to the critique of globalisation?<p>The only clue I had to the International Monetary Fund/World Bank protests taking place in Washington, DC last weekend was the inflatable palm tree floating down the road. On my way to a film festival, I had run smack into a modest, two block-long protest march, heading towards the location for the spring meetings.</p><p>I think that one of the main reasons why the WTO is no longer in the line of fire is that the change in the pattern of world trade over the last decade – combined with a slump in the west and a boom in China and India – makes the idea that global free trade is a tool of western domination look increasingly absurd. The world has got a lot more complicated than that; and even the anti-globalisation movement has had to acknowledge that complexity, if only tacitly. These days, it is the developing nations that are pressing for completion of the Doha round and the rich countries that are dragging their feet.</p><p>HEY TO ALL Y'ALL ALTERNATIVELY MINDED PUNKS! the a-16 rallies in DC to protest the WTO and IMF need your support! and if you don't care about the global politics of the world trade organisation, their [sic] is another protest going on that same weekend in DC to rally for more environmentally friendly legislation. So please... come out and get rowdy.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/25/protest-imf">Continue reading...</a>ProtestInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)WTOWorld BankBusinessGlobalisationGlobal economyUS newsActivismEnvironmentMediaGlobal developmentMon, 25 Apr 2011 21:30:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/25/protest-imfMike Nelson/EPAA demonstrator is shoved away by a riot policeman as protesters demonstrate against the World Trade Organisation summit meeting in Seattle. Photograph: Mike Nelson/EPAMike Nelson/EPAA demonstrator is shoved away by a riot policeman as protestors demonstrate against the World Trade Organization summit meeting in Seattle. Photograph: Mike Nelson/EPALatoya Peterson2011-04-25T21:30:02ZUS should exercise green power | Kevin Gallagherhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/06/china-renewableenergy
Instead of turning China's successful renewable energy industry into a trade row, the US should be boosting its own<p>To kick off 2011, the Obama administration has had the audacity to file suit at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/23/china-us-wind-power-technology?INTCMP=SRCH">against China's policies to build green technologies</a>.</p><p>This action is deeply flawed. The US should not try to beat China down, but should pursue its own green jobs policy and reform the WTO, so the rules allow countries to combat climate change.</p><p>&quot;Indeed, countries that have successfully developed under the current international system have at times ignored Washington's rigid economic prescriptions by protecting nascent industries and engaging in aggressive industrial policies.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/06/china-renewableenergy">Continue reading...</a>ChinaRenewable energyEnvironmentUS newsObama administrationWind powerSolar powerWTOGreen jobsGreen economyEnergyEnergy industryUS foreign policyAsia PacificThu, 06 Jan 2011 20:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/06/china-renewableenergyReutersA worker cleans solar panels on the roof of a building in Taiyuan, Shanxi. China envisions renewable energy making up one-third of its energy consumption by 2050. Photograph: ReutersReutersA worker cleans solar panels on the roof of a building in Taiyuan, Shanxi. China envisions renewable energy making up one-third of its energy consumption by 2050. Photograph: ReutersKevin Gallagher2011-01-06T20:00:01ZGlobalisation at the crossroads | Kenneth Rogoffhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/07/globalisation-global-economy
The US has championed free trade – at grave cost to itself. To avoid a trade war, other countries must now share the burden<p>G20 leaders who scoff at the United States' proposal for numerical trade-balance limits should know that they are playing with fire. The US is not making a demand as much as it is issuing a plea for help.</p><p>According to a <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10324.htm">recent joint report by the International Monetary Fund and the International Labor Organisation</a>, fully 25% of the rise in unemployment since 2007, totalling 30 million people worldwide, has occurred in the US. If this situation persists, as I have long warned it might, it will lay the foundations for huge global trade frictions. The voter anger expressed in the US midterm elections could prove to be only the tip of the iceberg.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/07/globalisation-global-economy">Continue reading...</a>GlobalisationGlobal developmentGlobal economyUS unemployment and employment dataBusinessG20International Monetary Fund (IMF)WTOCurrenciesSun, 07 Nov 2010 15:10:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/07/globalisation-global-economyNicky Loh/REUTERSChina has been criticised by the US for keeping its currency artificially low; the 'currency war' could be just an opening skirmish in a much more serious trade war, warns Kenneth Rogoff. Photograph: Nicky Loh/REUTERSNicky Loh/REUTERSChina has been criticised by the US for keeping its currency artificially low. Photograph: Nicky Loh/REUTERSKenneth Rogoff2010-11-07T15:10:06ZAfrica needs trade, not aid | Ela Soyemihttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/apr/17/election-international-aid-policies
Fairer trade is the best way to lift Africa out of poverty. Yet the main parties' international development policies focus only on aid<p>This week the three major parties launched their election manifestos and have all promised to stay in line with &quot;the UN target of spending 0.7% of gross national income by 2013.</p><p>Labour's manifesto outlines that &quot;in Africa, Labour has made aid, trade, conflict prevention and good governance a priority&quot;. But if passion can be measured in wordage, it is clear that a future Labour government will be clearly on the side of aid over trade where developing countries are concerned (a very small paragraph is dedicated to say, very basically, that trade is useful). Speaking in his South Shields constituency on Monday, the foreign secretary David Miliband reiterated the commitment: &quot;Think about how we've increased international aid budgets,&quot; he said. So Bob Geldof will be happy, but African nations interested in taking charge of their own fates should beware.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/apr/17/election-international-aid-policies">Continue reading...</a>General election 2010Manifestos 2010WTOInternational tradeDoha trade talksGlobal developmentAidTrade and developmentSat, 17 Apr 2010 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/apr/17/election-international-aid-policiesEla Soyemi2010-04-17T09:00:00ZAn unheated debate on foreign policy | James Denselowhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/mar/04/chatham-house-hague-miliband-davey-debate
The Chatham House debate between William Hague, David Miliband and Ed Davey was vague and skirted all the key issues<p>A day after the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/02/details-leaders-election-debates" title="Guardian: ' Broadcasters reveal details of leaders' election debates'">announcement</a> that a US-style series of party leader debates will be happening during the run up to the general election, the three main parties' foreign policy representatives went <a href="http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/listen/-/id/1470/doc/audio/" title="Chatham House debate podcast">head to head at Chatham House</a>.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/mar/04/chatham-house-hague-miliband-davey-debate">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsForeign policyLabourConservativesLiberal DemocratsGeneral election 2010William HagueDavid MilibandUK newsWorld newsUS foreign policyWTOChinaIraqAfghanistanTurkeyBosnia-HerzegovinaEuropeAsia PacificThu, 04 Mar 2010 12:01:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/mar/04/chatham-house-hague-miliband-davey-debateJames Denselow2010-03-04T12:01:35ZFinding fairer ways to trade | John Hilaryhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/mar/01/fair-trade-alternative-trading-models
Fairtrade fortnight gives us a chance to celebrate models of trade that provide an alternative to the WTO's flawed solutions<p>Welcome to <a href="http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/" title="Fairtrade Fortnight">Fairtrade Fortnight</a>, the annual celebration of the movement that offers farmers in developing countries a guaranteed premium for their products over and above market rates. This year's theme is the Big Swap, where British consumers are invited to switch over their everyday shopping items to fairly traded versions. For your usual bananas, buy Fairtrade bananas. For cotton socks, buy Fairtrade cotton socks – and so on, right across the full range of <a href="http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/default.aspx" title="over 3,000 products">more than 3,000 products</a> now certified as Fairtrade.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/mar/01/fair-trade-alternative-trading-models">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentFair tradeEthical and green livingFoodCorporate social responsibilityWorld newsGlobalisationWTOBusinessEthical businessInternational tradeFood & drink industryMon, 01 Mar 2010 17:04:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/mar/01/fair-trade-alternative-trading-modelsChris North/PAHow the Fairtrade Kit Kats will look. Photograph: Chris North/PAJohn Hilary2010-03-01T17:04:22ZLamy's lament on trade liberalisation | Larry Elliotthttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/28/davos-wto
<strong>Davos:</strong> There may be the will to build global institutions to run the world economy, but let's get real: nation states still rule<p>Financial markets. Greenhouse gases. Currencies. Fish. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/davos" title="Guardian coverage of the WEF at Davos">The World Economic Forum in Davos</a> has had sessions on all these pressing issues this week.</p><p>The problems are easy to identify. Too little regulation of the banks in the boom years, a risk that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/28/davos-larry-elliott-development-aid" title="Guardian: Davos: Funding switch threatens aid to developing world, campaigner warns">rising global temperatures</a> will cause irreparable damage to the environment, a world economy that is divided between deficit countries and surplus countries, and a decline in fish stocks.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/28/davos-wto">Continue reading...</a>DavosBusinessWTODoha trade talksClimate changeGlobal climate talksGlobal economyGlobalisationWorld newsRegulatorsEuropean UnionForeign policyEconomicsEconomic policyDavos 2010Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/28/davos-wtoLarry Elliott2010-01-28T19:30:00ZProtesters in Seattle warned us what was coming, but we didn't listen | Madeleine Buntinghttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/dec/13/copenhagen-seattle-climate-globalisation-protesters
Copenhagen must face up to the decade lost in curbing volatile finances, corporate power and the pillage of resources<p>Ten years ago, protesters gathered in a port city; politicians arrived for intense backroom negotiations; the city's hotels were booked out by representatives of thousands of NGOs from all over the world. In <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1999/dec/05/wto.globalisation" title="1999 Seattle">1999 Seattle</a>, like <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/copenhagen" title="Copenhagen">Copenhagen</a> this week, was a big international meeting attempting to exert some governance over globalisation. There's a fitting symmetry that these two meetings bookend this decade. For while the Seattle protests were deliberately misrepresented and widely misunderstood at the time, their agenda has proved unanswerable. Copenhagen is belatedly grappling with just one aspect of Seattle's unfinished business.</p><p>For those for whom Seattle is a hazy memory, let's recap. The World Trade Organisation had become the bete noire of a heterogeneous global coalition bizarrely labelled as the anti-globalisation movement. The WTO meeting to hammer out an international trade agreement became the touchstone for riots, and a draconian police response of teargas and truncheons. Seattle made it on to the front page of every newspaper. Some Starbucks windows were smashed; the protesters were ridiculed for their taste in lattes, Naomi Klein's No Logo and their trendy crusades against brands such as Nike. For a decade Seattle has been dismissed as illogical, self-indulgent posture politics that, not surprisingly, went nowhere.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/dec/13/copenhagen-seattle-climate-globalisation-protesters">Continue reading...</a>Copenhagen climate change conference 2009EnvironmentProtestWorld newsWTOBusinessGlobal economyGlobalisationAustralia newsGlobal climate talksAsia PacificSun, 13 Dec 2009 21:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/dec/13/copenhagen-seattle-climate-globalisation-protestersChristian Charisius/ReutersArrested demonstrators sit on the ground as they are surrounded by police during a rally outside the climate change conference in Copenhagen. Photograph: Christian Charisius/ReutersMadeleine Bunting2009-12-13T21:00:00ZCleaning house at the WTO | Kevin Gallagher and Timothy Wisehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/01/wto-dohatradetalks
The US and other wealthy countries continue to fight the same stale battles over international trade. It's time to move on<p>This week, the 10th anniversary of the infamous &quot;<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/11/99/battle_for_free_trade/544769.stm">Battle in Seattle</a>,&quot; ministers assembled in Geneva with renewed hopes of <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9C9PK901.htm">reviving world trade talks</a>. To dampen expectations, World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy bills the event as a mere &quot;housekeeping session,&quot; rather than full-fledged negotiations.</p><p>There is no question the WTO needs to clean house. The organisation charged with developing a fair and legitimate multilateral trading system has been left in the dust of world economic events.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/01/wto-dohatradetalks">Continue reading...</a>WTODoha trade talksInternational tradeEconomicsFinancial crisisUS foreign policyObama administrationChinaIndiaUS newsBrazilWorld newsAmericasAsia PacificTue, 01 Dec 2009 22:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/01/wto-dohatradetalksKevin Gallagher and Timothy Wise2009-12-01T22:30:00ZTime to kill off Doha | John Hilaryhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/25/doha-round-trade-talks-wto
Pascal Lamy is wrong: the Doha round of talks offers nothing to the world's poorest countries. The WTO has failed to deliver<p>Monday 30 November marks the 10th anniversary of the <a href="http://www.battleinseattlemovie.com/" title="Battle in Seattle: The movie">Battle in Seattle</a>, the day in 1999 when 100,000 protesters took to the streets and prevented the World Trade Organisation from launching its millennium round of free trade talks. The WTO is marking the occasion with another ministerial summit, and is understandably nervous – not because it fears another spectacular uprising (the summit is being held in genteel Geneva) but because the future of the WTO as a credible institution once again hangs in the balance.</p><p>Foiled in Seattle, the WTO did eventually manage to launch its new round of trade negotiations in Doha two years later. A barrage of <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=d5PTbg9FLUQC&amp;dq=jawara+kwa&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=1Wz5QdRIs7&amp;sig=-5Nwu98oyhYMmo5NYIybSGbtKco&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=fcULS_fJBoyX4gb6kfiRBA&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=10&amp;ved=0CCsQ6AEwCQ" title="Book: Behind the scenes at WTO">threats and blandishments</a> overcame developing country resistance to the idea of starting another round of trade liberalisation, at a time when many of their economies were still coming to terms with the problems caused by the previous <a href="http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/hist-cn.htm" title="Third World Network: Uruguay round - a historical perspective">Uruguay round</a> of trade talks, which concluded in 1994.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/25/doha-round-trade-talks-wto">Continue reading...</a>Doha trade talksWTOGlobal developmentSocietyWorld newsWed, 25 Nov 2009 17:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/25/doha-round-trade-talks-wtoJohn Hilary2009-11-25T17:00:01ZThe G20 fantasy | Mark Weisbrothttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/26/g20-reform-pittsburgh
Making the G20 into a permanent fixture doesn't tip the balance of global economic power away from the US<p>&quot;The old system of international economic cooperation is over,&quot; announced Gordon Brown at the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/25/g20-summit-economy-bonuses-deficits">G20 summit in Pittsburgh</a>. &quot;The new system, as of today, has begun.&quot;</p><p>The first part of that statement is partly true. The second is a fantasy. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/26/g20-reform-pittsburgh">Continue reading...</a>G20Global economyFinancial crisisG8EconomicsUS economyGlobal recessionBankingInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)US newsWorld BankWTORussiaDebt reliefExecutive pay and bonusesCurrenciesGordon BrownWorld newsEuropeSun, 27 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/26/g20-reform-pittsburghMatt Rourke/APPolice outside a protest in Pittsburgh during the G20 summit. Photograph: Matt Rourke/APMark Weisbrot2009-09-27T10:00:00ZWe don't want to rule the world | Mark Weisbrothttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/aug/25/us-foreign-policy-public-opinion
The US public largely opposes America's foreign wars and economic meddling. They need a voice in US foreign policy<p>Americans are famous for not paying much attention to the rest of the world, and it is often said that foreign wars are the way that we learn geography. But most often it is not the people who have little direct experience outside their own country that are the problem, but rather the experts.</p><p>The latest polling data is making this clear once again, as <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/19/AR2009081903066.html">a majority of Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan</a>, but the Obama administration is escalating the war, and his <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090823/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghanistan">military commanders may ask for even more troops than the increase to 68,000</a> that the adminstration is planning by the end of this year.</p><p>To me, there is one clear lesson: by joining the [Anglo-American] system and becoming part of it, you can achieve far greater results, whether measured by international power, state security or the prosperity of your people. You actually do much better by co-operating than resisting.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/aug/25/us-foreign-policy-public-opinion">Continue reading...</a>US foreign policyUS economyGlobal economyWorld BankInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)WTOUS newsWorld newsThu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/aug/25/us-foreign-policy-public-opinionMark Weisbrot2009-08-27T15:00:00ZGreen technology should be shared | Mark Weisbrothttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/may/19/wto-climate-change-intellectual-property
Big business is gearing up to fight the use of green technology by developing countries seeking to reduce carbon emissions<p>The battle over intellectual property rights is likely to be one of the most important of this century. It has enormous economic, social and political implications in a wide range of areas, from medicine to the arts and culture – anything where the public interest in the widespread dissemination of knowledge runs up against those whose income derives from monopolising it.</p><p>Now it appears that international efforts to slow the pace of worldwide climate disruption could also run up against powerful interests who advocate a fundamentalist conception of intellectual property</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/may/19/wto-climate-change-intellectual-property">Continue reading...</a>Climate changeEnvironmentWTOGlobal developmentGreenhouse gas emissionsUS newsWorld newsPropertyInternational tradeWed, 20 May 2009 18:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/may/19/wto-climate-change-intellectual-propertyMark Weisbrot2009-05-20T18:00:00ZRuth Lea: The G20 discussions of tax havens, bank bonuses and financial regulation are distractions from the real issues facing the global economyhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/27/g20-tax-bonuses-regulation
The G20 discussions of tax havens, bonuses and regulation are distractions from the real issues facing the global economy<p>Next week's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/g20">G20 summit</a> in London's Docklands will doubtless be a great media event, not least of all because of Barack Obama's charismatic presence. But, despite the seriousness of the current crisis and the glittering international cast, I have few expectations that it will amount to much by way of policy decisions. Indeed, given the cost and potentially disruptive anti-globalisation protests, I question whether the summit should be held at all. <br /> <br />We are living in historic times. The current crisis, caused by a systemic collapse in the financial system and compounded by major economic imbalances between debtor and creditor countries, will change the world economy. The sheer severity of the recession has taken even the most pessimistic analysts by surprise. Activity is contracting sharply in several of the world's major economies, notably the US, Japan, Germany and the UK, bank lending is weak and world trade is plummeting. The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/wto">World Trade Organisation</a> estimates that trade will fall by an unprecedented 9% this year. </p><p>It can be argued that because this recession is a global recession, then it needs to be tackled globally. At one level this is undoubtedly true. And it is encouraging that the IMF has recently announced it will double credit limits for struggling countries and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/26/imf-lending-finance-crisis">relax loan conditions for emerging nations</a> that need short-term assistance. The IMF, recently dismissed by some as irrelevant, is playing a crucial role in ameliorating some of the worst aspects of this crisis. But such decisions can be made, indeed are made, directly by the IMF and its official network of international contacts. One-day meetings of G20 leaders, or even G20 finance ministers, are surely surplus to requirements. We are having both, at great expense. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/27/g20-tax-bonuses-regulation">Continue reading...</a>Financial crisisWTOG20RecessionCredit crunchGlobal economyGlobal recessionFri, 27 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/27/g20-tax-bonuses-regulationRuth Lea2009-03-27T13:00:00ZLara Birkes and Jake Colvin: President Obama will find trade crops up on the international agendahttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/feb/18/trade-obama-administration-economy
President Obama may not want to make international trade one of his top priorities, but he may have no choice<p>Conventional wisdom from Washington to Geneva holds that Barack Obama is not inclined to highlight trade issues, choosing to concentrate on domestic job creation and postponing uncomfortable conversations with Congress and unions. While President Obama may not count trade among his top priorities, his administration will face growing demands for US leadership on the subject - starting with his <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1843553320090218">visit to Canada</a> today.</p><p>Although President Obama's instincts appear to favour open markets, he has been largely silent on trade thus far. The administration was conspicuously absent during the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/davos/7862723.stm">debate over trade</a> at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, where leaders reiterated the gravity of the economic crisis and warned against the adoption of protectionist measures. More broadly, the benefit of open markets has been largely missing from the narrative on economic recovery.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/feb/18/trade-obama-administration-economy">Continue reading...</a>Obama administrationUS economyCanadaDoha trade talksWTODavosStephen HarperGlobal recessionUS politicsAmericasThu, 19 Feb 2009 22:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/feb/18/trade-obama-administration-economyLara Birkes and Jake Colvin2009-02-19T22:00:00Z